My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Acupuncture for Athletes

I was speaking to a coworker earlier today and she peaked my interest after telling me that she has been feeling great after having acupuncture the last couple weeks. I am not normally that into alternative medicine but it peaked my interest because I have heard that it helps athletic performance and recovery also I have heard from people that it has helped heal old running injuries that hadn’t healed with rest in years.

As someone who is injury prone and an endurance junky I am not quite interested and considering giving it a go. I did a little web search and found some promising articles on the benefits:

Studies have shown that acupuncture has measurable effects on the flow of blood to certain areas of the body, which could in turn boost athletic performance. One such study conducted at the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine involved athletes running 5,000 meters, and then sitting for acupuncture treatments before they had a chance to catch their breath. The heart rates of the athletes who received the treatments recovered more quickly than those in the control group. (source)

Comments

Yes, have done acupuncture. First time was getting me mobile after sciatica. Next time was more recently when my hip and low back really tightened up and my regular massage therapist was not here. It’s worth a try for a bunch of stuff if nothing else seems to be working. Sometimes it’s what gets the ball rolling then other therapies start working.

I know some athletes who have been doing acupuncture for its health benefits, helping to relieve muscle and joint pains, improving circulation and promote healing, and can ease stress and anxiety. These are some of the benefits that athletes get from doing acupuncture. Acupuncture isn’t voodoo, it’s a natural treatment done to prevent or treatment certain condition.

While acupuncture does help with recovering from past injuries, it’s usually a part of a treatment plan and not really done all by itself. So if you’re already undergoing some physical therapy for a sports injury, it wouldn’t hurt to try acupuncture. It may just help speed up your recovery and get you back on track quickly.

Most athletes consider alternative treatments for their injuries because of the effectiveness and the fact that these are non-surgical. The recovery may take time like any other treatments, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Guaranteed no other side effect than just total healing.

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